THE COURIER.
that club women soek to bo understand
the Ecienco of the bomo that theirs shall
t be ideal homes, where the strife of the
world is without and a wealth of lore
within, where the gracious manners of
the mistress 6hall brine to all who come
within the home a message of comfort
and good cheer. The talks for the af
ternoon, "Tho Halation of the Club Wo
man to Household Economics," ''The
Poverty of Housekeeping ""Harmony at
the Hearth," brought out many excel
lent ideas and showed that home inter
ests are very dear to the hearts of club
women.
Dr. Warren Perry wai expected to
ppcak to the club on "Foods, Their
Chemical Significance and Values,'' but
was, on account of business, unable to
be present. The club hopes the pleas
ure of hearing him soon.
Fairbury was very gay during the hol
idays. The university students came
home, and to help in the merry-making,
all brought friends with them, some
bringing two and three. So there was
fun and frolic for every day and night.
it of every club in the state. The time
has come into the club movement for
women to show what they can do in
some such way. L. L R.
The North Bend woman's club kept
open house on New Year, and their
headquarter? resounded with greetings
tor the newjear. lheir friends re
sponded in large numbers to their invi
tations. Tho rooms presented a pretty
appearance, with their graceful decora
tions of yellow and white, the club col
ors. As the guests came from the re
ception room, they wore a bhof holly, to
which was attached an incomplete sen
timent. The rinding of the minus part
on one of the opposite sex gave them a
passport into the dining room, where a
prettily decorated and well filled table
awaited them. The ladies 6crved coffee,
while the guests served jests. In the
auditorium there was mirth and music.
Piano solos, a quartet by our young
ladies, and Mr. Dowling kindly gave a
few selections on a giaphophone. In
one corner of the room under our beau
tiful motto was a massive punch bowl
in a bed of holly, from'which two young
members served delicious fruit punch.
It is an open question whether it was
the re.reshing beverage or the fair and
graceful buds who presided that caused
the crowd to linger. Judge Strong de
livered an able address, in which he paid
high tribute to the ladies of the present
day, assuring them they were on the
right track, with their work well in
hand, and bid them Godspeed. As the
guests departed tho club women re
ceived many assurances of theirsuccess
in their efforts towards a social inaugu
ration of the New 1 ear, or is it new century?
At a called meeting of the Fairburv
Woman's club the committee appointed
to devise ways and means for estab
lishing a public library presented their
report and the resolutions offered weie
adopted with but little opposition.
The club pledges itself to raise during
the club year one hundred dollars in
money and in addition one hundred
volumes of books. It was further rec
ommended that until such time as the
city can lake and maintiin the library
that it he established and supported by
subscription. The ruinimum'subscrip
tion to be one dollar per year.
Another recommendation provided
for a board 01 directors four from the
club anJ tnree from the community at
large whose duty shall be to receive
subscriptions, purchase books and take
charge of donated books, with power to
accept all or receive any that m- its
judgment may not be suitable for a
library. The club intends to go to work
in earnest now to do all possible towards
establishing a library in Fairbury. v
Tnis plan for starting a library is
one that can be worked in any -town
where a woman's club exists. I am
pleased to call the special attention to
At the home of Mrs. Apperson on
last Wednesday afternoon another club
was organized. Tecumseh Sorosis was in
stituted with twenty-five charter mem
bers. Mrs. Pollock, president of the
city federation was present. Tho club
will at once join the General, State and
City federations. Officers elected are:
Mrs. C. M.Scott, president; Mrs. J. S.
Harman, Secretary; Mrs. B. F. West,
Treasurer. A fine miscellaneous pro
gram is arranged for the remainder of
the year.
The "Friends in Council" held a very
pleasant meeting at the home of Mrs.
Hill Shaw. After current events, The
modern American writers were assigned
one to each member with Mr p. Merri
man as leader.
The following writers with their best
known works were thoroughly discuss
ed: James Lane Allen, Kate Douglas
Wiggin, Paul Ford, Octave Thanet,
Lillian Bell, Hamlin Garland, Richard
Harding Davip, Weir Mitchell,
Sarah Orne Jewett, Ruth McEnery
Stewart, Winston Churchill "and Ne!son
Page.
Refreshments and social time com
pleted the afternoon.
Children's Reading.
It is said that every age has its trade
mark stamped upon it by the years as
they pass. Geologists have discovered
with precision and classified these trade
marks in the ages before man was. The
silurian age left its trade-mark in fossil
mollusks, the devonian in fishes, the
carboniferous in coal plants. It is so
in history, architecture, sculpture and
painting, language, customs and man
ners.. The most lasting mark of our age
is the influence and importance which
childhood has attained. Children's
books and magazines and "children's
columns," in the papers, and "children's
sermons'" and "children's S indays"
are features of the last fifty years.
Mrs. Stowe, eeeing the tendency of
the age, prophesied serial stories for ths
nursery, "We shall," said she. "have
charmingly illustrated magazines, 'The
Cradle,' 'The Rocking Chair,' 'The
First Rattle' and 'The First Tooth.' with
successive chapters of Goosy, Goosy
Gander, Hickory Dickory Dock and Old
Mother Hubbard extending through
twelve or twenty-four or forty-eight
numbers." We realized jeara ago the
truth of her prophecy.
Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard
Kipling, Joel Chandler Harris, Frank
Stockton, Hawthorne, Alcott and many
others are writing or have written for
children.
It is well for each child to have a pa
per or mazazine addressed to himself
and to encourage each child to gather a
library of his own. Among the endless
number of books, to make a list for
which preference should ba given is not
an easy task, and the mother who has a
good knowledge of literature will be the
best judge.
The Bible comes first in importance.
To bp ignorant of the Bible is to lose
tbe virility and beauty of the most an
cient and the most enduring literature
in human language. We do not know
of any methoJ by which children can
be instructed in the Bible and made
familiar with Its contents that does not
involve considerable labor by parents.
Teach the child the beautiful passages,
the poetry of the psalms, the pleasant
stories of tbe lives of the patriarchs.
With the mother they can learn the
Psalm xxiii., "The Lord is my shep
herd," Christ's sermon on the mount,
the Lord's prayer, chapter xiv.St. John,
"Let not your heart be troubled;" how
soothing to earth's weary ones even.to
a child. Teach them among the beau
tiful passages -in Ecclesiastes the one,
"Remember now thy Creator in the
days of they youth.' If they do not re
member their Creator in youtful days
they will forget him always.
Longfellow, in bis charming descrip
tion of Hiawatha's childhood, has given
a vivid picture of childhood's spirit of
inquiry :
"At the door one summer evening
Sat the little Hiawatha;
Saw the moon rise from the water,
Rippling, rising from the water,
Saw the flecks and shadows on it."
This will captivate any child, and a
little story may be woven from the
'aioon and shadow." A little further
on in the poem an appeal is made to the
love of flower?, which all children pos
sess, and a child may be led on through
this love to a delightful knowledge of
flowers. Then read him Bryant's
"Fringed Gentian," Whittier's "Flowers
in Winter." The names of plants may
be learned, the different woods, the
shape of the leaves and a thousand other
captivating things all unconsciously a
love of the science of botany will be ac
quired and the foundations of the future
study laid.
In like manner natural history and
botany may be studied also. Astron
omy, beginning with "Twinkle, Twinkle,
Little Star," and carrying it forward
until the heights are reached. Then
science and beautiful thoughts may be
wrought into the fiber of little ones
Some one says, "Can this be accomp
lished?" Yes, by mothers who think
more of child life and development than
of minor matters. But what of the
mothers whose, time is too full of
work? Ihis may be managed by each
one becoming interested in his own and
his neighbor's children, as the walls
of Jerusalem were restored by every
man building over against his owe
house.
A child lives almost wholly in the im
agination and the mother and teacher
may do much to direct it. As the
Greeks lived almost wholly in the imag
ination, give the children tales fiom
Greek mythology.
Good stories make children more
noble minded; they beget a love for
truth and pride of the right tort. Biog
raphy is really better in its results than
fiction, as it furnishes possible ideals.
Even Shakspere we need not hetitate
to introduce to the children.
AH children are interested in bird life;
read to them Bryant's "Waterfowl,"
"The Bobolink," Whittier's "Robin."
Shilley's wonderful "Skylark" and Rob
ert Browning's "O, to be in England
when April's There." When there is a
strong west wind, read Shelley's "West
Wind." When the first dash of snow
comes, read Longfellow's "First Snow'-'
and Whittier's "Snow Bound." When
the brooks begin to babble in the 6pring
time, read to them Tennyson's "Brook."
The music of Tennyson is entrancing to
almost all children. A source of amuse
ment, and profit as well, will be derived
by changing these poems into prose and
making a little story. On rainy dayB be
guile the children into reading history.
"He sang his way to fame
Through childish hearts, men say,"
And as long as ''Little Boy Blue" is
dear to the childish mind, Eugene Fieid
will be remembered, and
"Perhaps he will seek out the wee ones
In the heaven men call 'over there,'
And will weave for them verses of childhood
More wonderful, tender and rare."
(Read by Gertrude M. McDowell of
Fairbury, before the mid-wintor meet
ing of the N. F. W. C. atState Teachers'
Association, Lincoln December, 1899.)
ART HISTORY.
Outline of Work Prepared by Mrs. F. M.
HalL Chairman of he Art Committee of
the N. F, V. C
(a) Architecture.
(b) Sculpture.
(c) Painting.
A.
ANCIENT ART.
I. Egyptian art.
II. Babylonian and Assyrian art.
III. Persian, Phoenican, Palestine and
art of Asia Minor.
IV. Greek art.
V. EtruBcan and Romau art.
B.
Christian art to the Renaissance.
C.
Modern art from the Renaissance to
the present.
I. In Italy. II. In Germany. III. In
France. IV. In Holland. V. In Bel
gium. VI. In Spain. VII. In Eng
land. GENERAL REMARKS.
In ancient art architecture and sculp
ture predominated.
In early Christian art architecture
and painting predominated.
In modern art painting predominates.
Architecture and sculpture take second
place.
LESSON VIII.
FROM ITALIAN RENAISSANCE TO PRESENT.
1. Causes that produced tbe Renais
sance, (a) Discovery of America, (b)
Invention of printing, (c) Religious ref
ormation, (d) Spirit of individual free
dom, (e) Revival of classic learning,
(f) Greek art.
Note the rise of architecture, sculp
ture and painting as separate branches
of the great art movement.
2. Italian Renaissance.
1st period early Renaissance.
2d period high Renaissance.
3d period late Renaissance.
4th period Modern Italian art.
See De Forest's A Short History of
Art; Early Renaissance by J. M. Hop
pin (city library). Renaissance in Italy,
by Symonds (university library). Pool's
Index, Lives of Citnabue, Giotto, Angel
ica, M. Angelo and others.
The COURIER
And any One Dollar
Club Magazine
150
High School Notes.
The Browning Club gave an informal
meeting on Friday evening. The labor
expended in preparing the program was
appreciated by a well filled house. The
program was as follows:
Selection by the Mandolin club.
Ten minutes parliamentary law.
Vocal solo Mabel Hildebrand.
Recitation Selden House.
Piano solo Edith Burlingame.
Short play A Sewing Circle.
Selection Junior Quartette.
Original poem Marian Bell.
Piano solo Ina Finch.
Society paper Lillian House.
Mandolin club.
The Hawthorne literary society met
on Monday for the purpose of consider
ing a chalengo to debate 6ent them by
the Browning club. The club decided
to accept and the debate will take place
very soon.
The Photerone society has divided
into two clubs; the J. O. C's., and the
R. A.L's. These clubs havo a party
every two weeks. The next one will be
given by the R. A, L'b., at the home of
Miss Grace Trigg.
On Friday, January fourth, the C. D.
S. had an initiation. At a very excit
ing point when the candidate was blind
folded and enveloped in gunnysack
:A
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